Budget 2016 underscores government’s revenue problem

“The government is to be commended for protecting public services and maintaining infrastructure spending instead of engaging in massive cutbacks which would have only exacerbated the current economic crisis.

However, the $10.4 billion deficit and the failure to even keep spending in step with inflation and population growth shows once again the urgent need for revenue reform in the province.

Relative to the size of our economy, the Alberta government continues to be an average spender compared to other provinces, but individuals and businesses in Alberta aren’t even paying enough in taxes to cover the cost of delivering health care and education. We remain the lowest-taxed jurisdiction in the country by at least $7.5 billion.

This budget should be a wake-up call that Albertans need to have an honest conversation about how we can adequately fund the public services we all rely on without incurring massive debt.”

The Parkland Institute is a non-partisan public policy research institute in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta.

Parkland Executive Director Ricardo Acuña will be available for interviews in the Legislature rotunda immediately following the budget speech.

Parkland Institute is an Alberta-wide, non-partisan research centre situated within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. Parkland Institute studies economic, social, cultural, and political issues facing Albertans and Canadians, using the perspective of political economy. more »